STRUCTURAL FUNCTIONALISM

Structural functionalism is a
perspective used in the analysis of societies and their component features. Structural
functionalism focusses on the mutual integration and interconnection of societies.

Structural functionalism deals
with and focusses on what social functions various elements of the social system perform
with regard to the system as a whole.

Social
structures are placed at the center of analysis in structural functionalism, and
social functions are deduced from these structures. Structural functionalism means that
social institutions which collectively form social structures, function in order to
maintain the harmony of the social whole.

Structural functionalism was a
theoretical school in British social anthropology
and was formulated in opposition to evolutionism. The concern of structural functionalism
was a continuation of the David Emile Durkheim
view of the need for stability and internal cohesion in the system as a whole.

Unlike the other major
theoretical approaches, the structural functional model comes from a variety of authors.
Though it is mainly associated with Talcott Parsons, the
single most famous article is a short summary article on social stratification by Kingsley Davis and Wilbert
Moore. Robert King Merton is another well known
sociologist who provided some important structural functional theoretical statements.

Parsons and the functionalist
approach to sociology occupy an intermediate position between classical and contemporary
sociology. Parsons and the functional approach to sociology became so dominant that
sociology and functionalism became more or less
synonymous.

Wallace and Wolf trace the
development of structural functionalism to Auguste Comte,
Herbert Spencer, and Durkheim. The functional approach was developed from the 1930s
through the 1960s in the United States.

Structural functionalism
emphasizes the aspects of social institutions and behavior that are conducive to stability
and order within society. Functionalism analyses the way that social processes and
institutional arrangements contribute to the effective maintenance and stability of
society. The fundamental perspective is opposition to major social
change.

Structural functionalism drew
its inspiration primarily from the ideas of Emile Durkheim, Bronislaw Malinowski and
Radcliffe-Brown. Structural functionalist theory is associated with Radcliffe-Brown and
Evans-Pritchard.

Structural functionalism is a
range of theoretical perspectives within anthropology and sociology that addresses the
relationship of social activity to an overall social system. The most famous
accomplishment of the structural functionalists was the formulation of segmentary lineage
theory.

Structural Functionalism
as a Heuristic Device - Chilcott, John H.
Abstract: Argues that structural functionalism as a method for conducting fieldwork and as
a format for the analysis of ethnographic data remains a powerful model, one that is
easily understood by professional educators. As a heuristic
device, functionalist theory can help in the solution of a problem that is otherwise
incapable of theoretical justification.

Feminine Faces of Leadership: Beyond
Structural-Functionalism? - Fennell, Hope-Arlene
Abstract: Reviews four philosophical leadership perspectives: structural-functionalism,
constructivism, critical theory, and feminism. Explores the leadership phenomenon through the eyes of
six women principals. Although the behaviors of all six fall within a
structural-functionalist perspective, each is attempting to construct inclusive, positive,
and enabling leadership practices.

Outcomes-Based Education Reexamined: From Structural Functionalism to Poststructuralism - Colleen A. Capper,
Department of Educational Administration, 1186D Educational Sciences Building, University
of Wisconsin-Madison, Michael T. Jamison - Educational Policy, Vol. 7, No. 4, 427-446
(1993)
Outcomes-Based Education (OBE) views itself as a drastic break from current educational
practices and a means of providing educational success for all students. Though not stated
in overt terms, Outcomes-Based Education also positions it self as a means of
"emancipating " students and teachers from traditional practices which lead to educational inequality.